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Israel Adesanya's striking coach, Michael Angove, recently brushed off the importance of an almost decade-old sparring session between "The Last Stylebender" and Dricus Du Plessis.
Du Plessis is poised to defend his middleweight title for the first time in a highly anticipated grudge match against Adesanya, headlining the UFC 305 card at Perth's RAC Arena in Western Australia on August 17.
Adesanya and Du Plessis have been on an inevitable trajectory toward each other long before their tempestuous confrontation in the Octagon at UFC 290 in July 2023. However, that explosive encounter was not their only meeting; their rivalry dates back to well before they became prominent figures in the world of MMA.
In a video that surfaced on social media last year, captured in 2016 at the Tiger Muay Thai training facility in Thailand, Du Plessis was seen sparring with former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. During this session, the South African unintentionally bumped into Adesanya. The brief encounter saw them exchange apologies before they resumed their separate training.
After the clip gained significant traction, both Adesanya and Du Plessis reflected on their past training session multiple times. The Nigerian-born Kiwi admitted to struggling in the grappling exchanges but claimed to have outshone "Stillknocks" in striking. In contrast, Du Plessis insisted that he "manhandled" his future opponent throughout the entire session.
However, Angove believes that the past has little bearing on the present…
Angove States One Training Session Doesn't Ensure Du Plessis Will Outperform Adesanya Again
During a recent interview with The Scrap, Angove was questioned about the training session between Adesanya and Du Plessis. The City Kickboxing coach responded diplomatically, stressing that past events are irrelevant in the present context. He highlighted that both fighters, particularly his protégé, have undergone significant evolution since then.
It is what it is, you know, it was 10 years ago, that's a decade," Angove said. "What happens in the training room and all those factors, I mean, we've heard stories of AJ [Anthony Joshua] being knocked out in boxing. You get guys who get chinned by sparring partners, but none of that matters because so much water has gone under the bridge. You know, one training session, once, when one guy got the better of someone in one particular exchange does not mean whooped his sh*t, to be honest.
Angove further emphasized that Adesanya showcased robust takedown defense against formidable opponents like Yoel Romero and Derek Brunson, both known for their wrestling-heavy game. In contrast, Du Plessis was taken down by Brunson in their fight.
Let's not forget, Romero couldn't hold Izzy down, couldn't take him down. Derek Brunson couldn't get him down, and we know that Derek took Dricus down. So, you know, time moves, and Dricus will have improved since then as well. But we don't operate in this kind of time-free style. These guys are elite athletes who have developed so that they're at the top of the MMA game, and that's how we look at it.